Anh Vu and Chi Hien had their wedding ceremony in Virginia but never had the chance to have a reception in Southern California. This 4th of July, our entire family along with our closest friends and relatives were treated by Anh Vu and Chi Hien to an evening of great food, great fun and lots of love.

Minh Chau’s family flew from Southern California and spent some time with us in May. We had a blast hanging out in the Bay Area.

Our spring begins with giant tulips in full bloom, making terrariums and planting tomatoes with Grace.

This 400 million years worth of wonder surely made us feel insignificant.
The image above captures the Dream Lake, the largest body of water in the caverns. This sparkling lake reflects a myriad of fantastic forms and creates a mirror image of the abundant stalactites hanging from the ceiling. It was difficult to resist from touching the pristine water.

Our brand new nephew and god son.
Congratulations to Anh Vu and Chi Hien!

“But, after all, he turned his face unwillingly towards mankind. His Cathedral was sufficient for him. Was it not people with kings, saints and bishops of marble who never mocked at him, but ever gazed at him with calm and benevolent eyes? And the other stone figures, the demons and monsters, they showed no hatred of Quasimodo. He looked too muck akin to them for that. Rather they scoffed at other men. The saints were his friends and blessed him, the monsters were his friends and protected him…So he would commune long and earnestly with them, passing whole hours crouched in front of a statue, holding solitary converse with it. If anyone happened upon him, he would fly like a lover surprised in a serenade.”

-Victor Hugo, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

And so we say goodbye to Europe with Paris…Until next time…

The beauty of Hallstatt can speak for itself.
This morning, we got up early and walked for a few hours along the lake. We wanted to find ourselves alone in these streets because at six a.m., all the souvenir shops would be closed, the light would be soft, the sun just rising, and the air still holding last night’s chill. Come eight a.m., it would already be too late.

The train ride from Munich to Vienna took 4 hours, and the scenery along the way was cinematic: lush green valleys, smoky mountains and red roof villages.

Even though the rain these past two days had somewhat dampened our visit, it forced us to have some rest and relaxation. We had about 3 hours of sunshine this morning fortunately, so we were able to capture a few images of Vienna. We attended a mass at St. Stephen’s Cathedral on Sunday. It was easy to be absorbed in the atmosphere as we admired the incredibly ornate stone carvings and sculptures, the high stained glass windows and listened to one of the most amazing choirs and orchestra that we have ever heard.

We stopped by the Hofburg Palace and visited the Imperial Appartments and the Sissi Museum.
Looking at the collection of various objects that she once used, we could imagine her life as the Empress of Austria, a beautiful woman with a strong character whose fate gave ultimate favors but came to dislike her court formalities and obligations, and instead was constantly seeking thrill and adventure.